Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 23 O C T O B E R 2 , 2 0 1 7 obtained two Agricultural Development grants totaling $95,000 to buy a kiln and quality-monitoring equipment, and invested sweat equity to cultivate 250 acres of barley. ey built and auto- mated additional equipment for clean- ing, sorting and packaging; and traveled to beer festivals around Maine to recruit potential customers. ey set up operations in a former potato storage building, acquired or repurposed the equipment they'd need to start out, and added as needed. at includes things like the kiln, grain tanks, drying, cleaning and monitoring equip- ment, and augur conveyors. An addi- tion to the building is now underway, to house the new malting system. e brothers, who do everything themselves alongside their father and uncles, plan to fi nish the addition by year's end. Once it's done, they hope to achieve another milestone: "We consider our- selves a nonprofi t," Jacob jokes. "We're hoping once we're on the new system, that we can become profi table." Buck Farms plants 1,000 acres of produce overall. Of that, 250 acres in 2016 was barley. e brothers this year also contracted for 250 acres of barley from neighboring farms to stagger the planting and harvesting times. By mid-September, they expected to get in 40,000 bushels, near their capacity of 50,000. e grain can be stored for multiple years and malted as needed. Demand is growing. "Our fi rst year was pretty slow," says Buck. "Now we're selling to multiple breweries and distilleries in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire." e operation has plenty of poten- tial to grow, he says. "A lot of that comes from current customers who would like to slowly increase" their orders. "We're betting on the fact that we can do it." anks to their new drying equip- ment, they've also expanded opera- tions laterally, off ering custom grain cleaning and drying services to other farms in the area. "We now have infrastructure that other farms were lacking," he says. e brothers see their operation as an important model for Aroostook County. "Especially right now, grain isn't really a cash crop for anybody," says Jacob. "So fi nding a new market for that and being able to work with other farm- ers and support each other — being able to add that aspect to the farming community up here — is big." L S , a s e n i o r w r i t e r a t M a i n e b i z , c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . Structural Analysis/Building Evalua ons Structural Design Machine/Equipment Design Failure Analysis (Forensic Evalua on) Pressure Vessels OSHA Cer fica ons 207.989.4824 Our team delivers Sensible Solu ons Leaning towards structural renova ons? BANGOR, MAINE • 207.947.4501 • RUDMANWINCHELL.COM Just ask our clients, and they'll agree with Chuck and Belinda. For 100 years, Rudman Winchell has earned the trust and respect of businesses all across the state of Maine. Give us a call and find out what we can do for you. A TRUE STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR YOUR BUSINESS Chuck and Belinda Lawrence, owners of TradeWind Markets: "For more than 10 years, we've been pleased personally and professionally with the quality and diversity of Rudman Winchell." "

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